Ontario’s testing for COVID-19 has fallen so far short this week that the capacity to check 46,000 people for the highly contagious virus has been wasted.

Ministry of Health figures released Friday showed 11,276 samples were processed Thursday, almost 9,000 below the ability of provincial government, hospital and commercial labs to provide results on more than 20,000 daily.

Combined with daily shortfalls since Monday — when just over 5,000 samples were processed — the foregone capacity totals about 46,000 over four days as fewer people are turning up at assessment centres and testing of all residents and staff in nursing homes was completed.

“We aren’t doing nearly the testing we should,” said Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist at the University of Toronto.

He is one of many scientists to advocate pro-active testing of people in jobs with occupational exposure to the public, such as grocery clerks and bus drivers.

“With the reopening of stores, the number of people who should be tested has now increased substantially. We need to be doing that testing frequently, perhaps weekly.”

The wasted capacity points to a lack of a strategy, Furness added — something Premier Doug Ford said Thursday will be addressed with a new broader testing plan to be unveiled next week to include more workers, such as truck drivers.

“Let’s start getting out there and testing everyone possible,” Ford said Thursday, encouraging people with mild symptoms to get checked at assessment centers that previously rejected them.

As recently as last week, top provincial public health officials advising Ford were arguing against wider testing that would target workers with occupational risk of exposure or people without symptoms.

The Ontario government’s official number of confirmed cases rose by 441 on Wednesday, up from 413 the day before even as test processing has fallen dramatically from the 18,354 samples handled last Thursday.

Ford and chief medical officer Dr. David Williams said the higher case numbers this week are a source of concern, but the doctor has suggested they may be up because of positive tests still coming in from a recently completed testing blitz on all nursing home residents and staff.

A Star compilation of data from public health units at 11 a.m. Friday showed 415 more confirmed and probable cases in the previous 24 hours for a total of 25,826 since the outbreak began in January. The numbers are more up-to-date than the ministry numbers, which were calculated as of 4 p.m. Thursday.

There were another 23 deaths, raising the total to 2091.

Ontario had 961 people in hospital with COVID-19, with 153 seriously ill in intensive care and 120 of them on ventilators.

The Ministry of Health said the cases of 18,767 people who contracted the illness are considered resolved.

Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @robferguson1

Ontario’s testing for COVID-19 has fallen so far short this week that the capacity to check 46,000 people for the highly contagious virus has been wasted.

Ministry of Health figures released Friday showed 11,276 samples were processed Thursday, almost 9,000 below the ability of provincial government, hospital and commercial labs to provide results on more than 20,000 daily.

Combined with daily shortfalls since Monday — when just over 5,000 samples were processed — the foregone capacity totals about 46,000 over four days as fewer people are turning up at assessment centres and testing of all residents and staff in nursing homes was completed.

“We aren’t doing nearly the testing we should,” said Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist at the University of Toronto.

Related Content

He is one of many scientists to advocate pro-active testing of people in jobs with occupational exposure to the public, such as grocery clerks and bus drivers.

“With the reopening of stores, the number of people who should be tested has now increased substantially. We need to be doing that testing frequently, perhaps weekly.”

The wasted capacity points to a lack of a strategy, Furness added — something Premier Doug Ford said Thursday will be addressed with a new broader testing plan to be unveiled next week to include more workers, such as truck drivers.

“Let’s start getting out there and testing everyone possible,” Ford said Thursday, encouraging people with mild symptoms to get checked at assessment centers that previously rejected them.

As recently as last week, top provincial public health officials advising Ford were arguing against wider testing that would target workers with occupational risk of exposure or people without symptoms.

The Ontario government’s official number of confirmed cases rose by 441 on Wednesday, up from 413 the day before even as test processing has fallen dramatically from the 18,354 samples handled last Thursday.

Ford and chief medical officer Dr. David Williams said the higher case numbers this week are a source of concern, but the doctor has suggested they may be up because of positive tests still coming in from a recently completed testing blitz on all nursing home residents and staff.

A Star compilation of data from public health units at 11 a.m. Friday showed 415 more confirmed and probable cases in the previous 24 hours for a total of 25,826 since the outbreak began in January. The numbers are more up-to-date than the ministry numbers, which were calculated as of 4 p.m. Thursday.

There were another 23 deaths, raising the total to 2091.

Ontario had 961 people in hospital with COVID-19, with 153 seriously ill in intensive care and 120 of them on ventilators.

The Ministry of Health said the cases of 18,767 people who contracted the illness are considered resolved.

Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @robferguson1

Top Stories

Ontario’s testing for COVID-19 has fallen so far short this week that the capacity to check 46,000 people for the highly contagious virus has been wasted.

Ministry of Health figures released Friday showed 11,276 samples were processed Thursday, almost 9,000 below the ability of provincial government, hospital and commercial labs to provide results on more than 20,000 daily.

Combined with daily shortfalls since Monday — when just over 5,000 samples were processed — the foregone capacity totals about 46,000 over four days as fewer people are turning up at assessment centres and testing of all residents and staff in nursing homes was completed.

“We aren’t doing nearly the testing we should,” said Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist at the University of Toronto.

Related Content

He is one of many scientists to advocate pro-active testing of people in jobs with occupational exposure to the public, such as grocery clerks and bus drivers.

“With the reopening of stores, the number of people who should be tested has now increased substantially. We need to be doing that testing frequently, perhaps weekly.”

The wasted capacity points to a lack of a strategy, Furness added — something Premier Doug Ford said Thursday will be addressed with a new broader testing plan to be unveiled next week to include more workers, such as truck drivers.

“Let’s start getting out there and testing everyone possible,” Ford said Thursday, encouraging people with mild symptoms to get checked at assessment centers that previously rejected them.

As recently as last week, top provincial public health officials advising Ford were arguing against wider testing that would target workers with occupational risk of exposure or people without symptoms.

The Ontario government’s official number of confirmed cases rose by 441 on Wednesday, up from 413 the day before even as test processing has fallen dramatically from the 18,354 samples handled last Thursday.

Ford and chief medical officer Dr. David Williams said the higher case numbers this week are a source of concern, but the doctor has suggested they may be up because of positive tests still coming in from a recently completed testing blitz on all nursing home residents and staff.

A Star compilation of data from public health units at 11 a.m. Friday showed 415 more confirmed and probable cases in the previous 24 hours for a total of 25,826 since the outbreak began in January. The numbers are more up-to-date than the ministry numbers, which were calculated as of 4 p.m. Thursday.

There were another 23 deaths, raising the total to 2091.

Ontario had 961 people in hospital with COVID-19, with 153 seriously ill in intensive care and 120 of them on ventilators.

The Ministry of Health said the cases of 18,767 people who contracted the illness are considered resolved.

Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @robferguson1